Archive for category ‘Cancer from Chemicals‘

Male reproductive organs are at risk from environmental hazards

We need solutions to protect human health

 

Male reproductive disorders that are of interest from an environmental point of view include sexual dysfunction, infertility, cryptorchidism, hypospadias and testicular cancer.

Several reports suggest declining sperm counts and increase of these reproductive disorders in some areas during some time periods past 50 years. Except for testicular cancer this evidence is circumstantial and needs cautious interpretation. However, the male germ line is one of the most sensitive tissues to the damaging effects of ionizing radiation, radiant heat and a number of known toxicants.

So far occupational hazards are the best documented risk factors for impaired male reproductive function and include physical exposures (radiant heat, ionizing radiation, high frequency electromagnetic radiation), chemical exposures (some solvents as carbon disulfide and ethylene glycol ethers, some pesticides as dibromochloropropane, ethylendibromide and DDT/DDE, some heavy metals as inorganic lead and mercury) and work processes such as metal welding. Improved working conditions in affluent countries have dramatically decreased known hazardous workplace exposures, but millions of workers in less affluent countries are at risk from reproductive toxicants. New data show that environmental low-level exposure to biopersistent pollutants in the diet may pose a risk to people in all parts of the world.

For other noxicants the evidence is only suggestive and further evaluation is needed before conclusions can be drawn. Whether compounds as phthalates, bisphenol A and boron that are present in a large number of industrial and consumer products entails a risk remains to be established. The same applies to psychosocial stressors and use of mobile phones.

Finally, there are data indicating a particular vulnerability of the fetal testis to toxicants – for instance maternal tobacco smoking. Time has come where male reproductive toxicity should be addressed form entirely new angles including exposures very early in life.

Literatur:
Bonde JP., Male reproductive organs are at risk from environmental hazards, Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Bispebjerg University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark, Asian J Androl. 2009 Dec 7.

Exposure to bitumen fumes and genotoxic effects on asphalt workers

Toxic fumes make asphalt worker sick

Bitumen fumes consist essentially of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their derivatives, some of which are known to be carcinogenic or cocarcinogenic in humans. The aim of this study was to investigate exposure to asphalt fumes among Turkish asphalt workers and determine whether any effects could be detected with genotoxic tests.  

The study included 26 asphalt workers and 24 control subjects. Sister chromatid exchange (SCE) and micronucleus (MN) were determined in peripheral lymphocytes. Urinary 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP) excretion was used as a biomarker of occupational exposure to PAHs.  

The asphalt workers had a significant increase in SCEs and MN (for each, p < 0.001). A positive correlation existed between the duration of exposure and rates of SCE or MN frequencies (r = 0.49, p < 0.05; r = 0.53, p < 0.05, respectively). The concentration of 1-OHP in urine was higher for the asphalt workers than for the controls (p < 0.001). However, we found that there was no statistically significant correlation between the urinary 1-OHP concentration and SCEs or MN frequencies (r = 0.25, p > 0.5; r = 0.17, p > 0.5, respectively).  

This study shows that Turkish asphalt workers have an increased exposure to PAHs from bitumen fumes, and genotoxic effects could be detected by SCEs and MN tests. 

Reference: Karaman A, Pirim I., Exposure to bitumen fumes and genotoxic effects on Turkish asphalt workers, Department of Medical Genetics, State Hospital, Erzurum, Turkey, Clin Toxicol (Phila). 2009 Apr;47(4):321-6.

The Department of Health of the Austrian Government recognizes MCS – Multiple Chemical Sensitivity as a physical disease


Just like Germany, Austria is now classifying Chemical Sensitivity / MCS – Multiple Chemical Sensitivity as a physical disease under the code T78.4 of the ICD-10 (the register of diseases). The news comes from a recent letter by the Department of Health of the Austrian Government.

MCS in the ICD-10 in Germany

In a letter dated September 4, 2008 the DIMDI, the Cooperation Partner for Germany of the WHO, wrote that MCS – Multiple Chemical Sensitivity was classified in the register ICD-10 GM which is valid in Germany:

MCS – Multiple Chemical Sensitivity

T78.4…Allergy, not otherwise specified;

Chapter 19 (Injuries, Intoxication and certain other outcomes), Article T66-T78 (Other and unspecified injuries caused by external causes).

MCS in Austria recognized as physical disease

With a letter dated June 24, 2009 regarding “Chemical Sensitivity / MCS – Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (T78.4)”, the Department of Health of the Austrian Government declares that:

In response to your letter dated 4/14/2009 to the Minister of Health Mr. Stoerger, we inform you that the WHO ICD-10 Code modified for Germany from DIMDI is used in Austria as well.

Also in Austria MCS is not a psychological disease

It should be emphasized that the German Institute for Medical Documentation and Information (DIMDI) declared explicitly that there is not any allocation of MCS in Chapter 5 (Mental and behavioural disorders) of the ICD-10-GM. Thus, the debate about MCS as mental illness is at an end.

In Germany doctors who document the diagnosis and the hospital administrations work under the Social Security Code V, which states that the diagnoses have to be made according to the systematic list of ICD-10-GM. Thus, the ICD-10 classification is legally binding.

The Department of Health of the Austrian Government refers in the letter that MCS – Multiple Chemical Sensitivity is recognized in Austria as a physical disease, because also there it will have the code T78.4 in the ICD-10.

Author: Silvia K. Müller, CSN – Chemical Sensitivity Network, 26. June 2009

References:

Bundesministerium für Gesundheit, Chemikalien-Sensitivität / MCS – Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (ICD-10 T78.4), 24.06.2009, Wien, Österreich.

DIMDI Letter to CSN, MCS ICD-10, 04.09.2008

DIMDI Letter, 04.09.2008

Asbestos – EPA Announces Public Health Emergency in Libby, Montana

Asbestos-keep-out

EPA to Move Aggressively on Cleanup and HHS to Assist Area Residents with Medical Care  

WASHINGTON – U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson today announced the agency has determined that a public health emergency exists at the Libby asbestos site in northwest Montana.  Over the past years, hundreds of asbestos-related disease cases have been documented in this small community, which covers the towns of Libby and Troy. The announcement was made today at a joint press conference with Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and U.S. Sens. Max Baucus and Jon Tester.  

This is the first time EPA has made a determination under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) that conditions at a site constitute a public health emergency.  This determination recognizes the serious impact to the public health from the contamination at Libby and underscores the need for further action and health care for area residents who have been or may be exposed to asbestos. Investigations performed by the Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry have found the incidence of occurrence of asbestosis, a lung condition, in the Libby area staggeringly higher than the national average for the period from 1979-1998. EPA is working closely with the Department of Health and Human Services, which is making available a short-term grant to provide needed asbestos-related medical care to Libby and Troy residents.  

During her Senate confirmation hearing, Administrator Jackson committed to review the situation at the Libby asbestos site based on current site information, sound science and EPA’s legal authorities. As a result of her review, the Administrator has decided that conditions at the site present a significant threat to public health and that making a public health emergency determination is appropriate.  

“This is a tragic public health situation that has not received the recognition it deserves by the federal government for far too long. We’re making a long-delayed commitment to the people of Libby and Troy. Based on a rigorous re-evaluation of the situation on the ground, we will continue to move aggressively on the cleanup efforts and protect the health of the people,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “We’re here to help create a long and prosperous future for this town.” She added, “Senator Max Baucus has been a tireless advocate for the people living in Libby and Troy who have confronted this public health tragedy for generations and we commend him for his work. We look forward to working with him and Senator Tester who has been working diligently since being elected to the Senate to bring much needed support to these communities.”  

“Senator Baucus and Senator Tester have powerfully brought the voices of the people of Libby and Troy to Washington so the nation could hear and understand what happened. They refused to give up on finding the best ways to help those who have suffered so much. Today’s announcement reflects our Administration’s concern for the residents of Lincoln County and our intention to act decisively to protect and improve their health and quality of life,’ said Secretary Sebelius. “The Department of Health and Human Services has been working closely with the EPA and the residents of Lincoln County for a number of years to conduct screenings and help provide access to care. Now, we have come together with Senator Baucus and Senator Tester, Administrator Jackson, and agencies across HHS, to offer a new grant to provide short-term medical assistance for screening, diagnostic and treatment services in a comprehensive and coordinated manner in partnership with local officials on the ground in Lincoln County. “  

Sen. Max Baucus, a long-time advocate on this issue, consistently sought out a determination of a public health emergency in this region.  

“This is a great day for Libby. This is a town that was poisoned by W.R. Grace, then had to wait year after year as the last administration failed to determine that public health emergency exists. But today is a new day,” said Sen. Baucus. “Today is the day that Administrator Jackson did the right thing and made this vital determination. Today is the day that Secretary Sebelius declared that people in Libby will get the health care they need. Today is the day that after years of work we were able to succeed in getting this done. Yet, we won’t stop here. We will continue to push until Libby has a clean bill of health.”  

“This is a long-overdue, common-sense decision that will go a long way for Libby and the thousands of folks who were poisoned there,” Sen. Tester said. “This decision will help make quality health care more accessible and it will open the door to get new resources on the ground.  We still have a long way to do right by the folks in Libby.  Working together with the Department of Health and Human Services and the Environmental Protection Agency, we’re making very good progress.”   

Secretary Sebelius tasked two HHS agencies – the Health Resources and Services Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry – to help county residents. These two agencies will support a new grant to assist affected residents who need medical care. Local officials are currently putting together a grant proposal that will lay out options for provision of medical care that will work for the residents of Lincoln County. HHS anticipates that this grant can be awarded in August 2009.  

The Libby asbestos site has been on the EPA’s Superfund National Priorities List since 2002, and cleanup has taken place since 2000.  EPA has made progress in helping to remove the threat of asbestos in the land and air, and with it, the increased risks of lung cancer, asbestosis, and other respiratory problems. While EPA’s cleanup efforts have greatly reduced exposure, actual and potential releases of amphibole asbestos remain a significant threat to public health in that area.  

The Libby asbestos site includes portions of the towns of Libby and Troy and an inactive vermiculite mine seven miles northeast of the town. Gold miners discovered vermiculite in Libby in 1881; in the 1920s the Zonolite Company formed and began mining the vermiculite.  In 1963, W.R. Grace bought the Zonolite mining operations. The mine closed in 1990. It is estimated that the Libby mine was the source of over 70 percent of all vermiculite sold in the United States from 1919 to 1990.  

More information: http://www.epa.gov/libby 

EPA, EPA Announces Public Health Emergency in Libby, Montana,  June 17, 2009  

Are everyday products from cosmetics to household cleaners causing the high rates of breast cancer?

‘No Family History’ author makes compelling case for environmental link to breast cancer and urges women, advocates, and policymakers to focus on prevention.   

Chemicals in your Bathroom can cause CancerPHILADELPHIA – Has the key to reducing breast cancer gotten lost in the race for a cure? A new book, No Family History, presents compelling evidence that exposure to everyday products such as cosmetics and toiletries, hormones in food, household cleaners and pesticides is behind the dramatic increase in breast cancer and argues that the solution is simple: prevention.  

“Every three minutes, one woman in the United States is diagnosed with breast cancer. Yet, most women with breast cancer defy most or all of the risk factors, including weight, diet, whether they gave birth and breast fed, and family history,” says No Family History author Sabrina McCormick, Ph.D., a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health & Society Scholar at the University of Pennsylvania. 

The incidence of breast cancer has increased at an alarming rate over the past 60 years. In 1940, around one in 24 women who lived to be 80 was afflicted. By 2006, that number rose to one in eight.  

In her book, McCormick cites compelling evidence showing that the reason for this dramatic increase is the rise in the production and use of cancer-causing chemicals women are exposed to on a daily basis.  

Breast cancer “hot spots” from Long Island, N.Y., to Northern California have two common threads—industrial pollution and agricultural pesticides. These “hot spots” are pockets of the United States where breast cancer has risen six times faster than the national rate. In Long Island, the incidence of breast cancer is 200 percent higher than the national average. 

“In our race for a cure for breast cancer, we have ignored the overwhelming body of evidence that demonstrates a link between products from cosmetics to pesticides and breast cancer,” McCormick says. “We must focus on prevention by demanding safer products, reducing our exposure to chemicals and urging our policymakers to ban cancer-causing chemicals in everyday products.” 

European governments responded to this scientific evidence by banning cosmetic products with certain chemicals from being sold in their countries. According to No Family History, one American cosmetics company known as much for its “pink ribbon” marketing campaigns as for its pink lipstick removed these chemicals from products sold in Europe, but these same chemicals remain in the products the company sells in the United States. 

“Women and girls should not have to check the ingredients in every stick of lipstick and each bottle of moisturizer. Better regulation to ensure that these products are safe would go a long way to reducing the incidence of breast cancer,” McCormick says. 

Many companies that profit from “pink” marketing campaigns or breast cancer treatments, McCormick argues, are the same ones fighting against tougher regulations of cancer-causing chemicals in everyday products. McCormick dubs this the “political economy” of breast cancer.

“In the case of breast cancer, many activists have unwittingly bought into campaigns leading down the road away from a cause, and instead into more and more breast cancer,” McCormick writes in her book. 

No Family History: The Environmental Links to Breast Cancer (Rowman & Littlefield) is a provocative glimpse into environmental links to breast cancer, profiling research as well as women’s stories. McCormick recommends that women reduce their exposure to many cosmetics and toiletries and urges policymakers to strengthen regulations to ban cancer-causing chemicals from being used in everyday products. 

Reference: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health & Society Scholars, Are everyday products from cosmetics to household cleaners causing the high rates of breast cancer? June, 15, 2009 

For more information on the book (in stores in June) and a documentary McCormick produced on the subject, visit www.nofamilyhistory.org